January 19, 2008:
The U.S. Army is
buying another 12,278 M3 tripod mounts, for use with the M2 .50 caliber
(12.7mm) machine-gun, or the Mk19 40mm automatic grenade launcher. Both of
these weapons are widely used to defend bases in Iraq and Afghanistan. The 44
pound tripods cost about $695 each. The M3 tripod is a remarkably simple and
effective mount for all manner of heavy weapons weighing about as much (84
pounds) as the M2 machine-gun. Nearly as old as the M2 machine-gun, the M3 has
resisted attempts to replace it. There is a lighter version of the M3, the 19
pound HMGT (Heavy Machine Gun Tripod) developed for the U.S. Marine Corps. Most
M2 users prefer the heavier M3 tripod.
Efforts to replace the M2 machine-gun
itself have met a similar fate. Three
years ago, field testing of the XM-312, the replacement for the eighty year
old, .50 caliber (12.7mm) M-2 machine-gun, began, in the United States and
overseas. Then, nothing. That's because the test results were not encouraging,
the biggest shortcoming being the low rate of fire (about 260 rounds per
minute). This is about half the rate of the M2, and was believed adequate for
the 25mm smart shells the XM312 was originally designed for (as the XM307). But
for 12.7mm bullets, it didn't impress the troops. There were some reliability
problems, which could be fixed. The rate-of-fire issue, however, has proved to
be more difficult. Meanwhile, a new upgrade for the M2 has been fielded, and Ma
Deuce still rules the battlefield. The new M2E2 has a quick change barrel,
flash hider and lot of small improvements. It is much in demand.
Originally, the M2 replacement was
going to be the M-307, which was designed so it could fire either the computer
controlled 25mm "smart shell" of the XM-25, or (by changing the barrel and
receiver), .50 caliber ammo. But it was felt that a straight replacement for
the M-2 was needed quickly. The original plan was for the troops to begin
getting the XM312 in 2008, or sooner.
The M-2, nicknamed "Ma Deuce" by the troops,
has been around so long because it was very good at what it did. Accurate,
reliable, rugged and easy to use, many of the M-2s currently in use are decades
old, and finally wearing out. The army doesn't want to build new ones, and
wasn't sure it could do without the venerable, and very useful, M2. So it ended
up going ahead with the plan to build a new .50 caliber machine-gun (the
XM312). Actually, the new Ma Deuce is basically the XM307, but without the
ability to fire 25mm rounds. The XM312 weighs 36 pounds (compared to 50 for the
M-2), even with the addition of the electronic fire control stuff from the
XM307.
The fire control system, especially the range
finder, makes the XM312 much more accurate with first shot hits, than the M-2.
American troops have been testing the XM312 in the United States and Germany,
and have also reacted favorably to the lighter weight of the XM-312. The
lighter XM312 will be easier for infantry to manhandle into position (along
with its tripod mount.) But the lower rate-of-fire on the XM-312 was
particularly disappointing to the many troops who had used the M2 in combat
recently. A few other nations have also produced improved 12.7mm machine-guns, and
find there is a market for them, as long as their performance is similar to the
original M2.